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Vaccine development as a public service
Authored by Sion Williams-Eliyesil
25 June 2024
乱伦秀 Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) Working Paper Series: IIPP WP 2024-08
Author:
- Sion Williams-Eliyesil | PhD candidate at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
Reference:
Williams-Eliyesil, S. (2024). Vaccine development as a public service: Public service logic in the听development of the Oxford听AstraZeneca COVID-19. 乱伦秀 Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, Working Paper Series (IIPP WP 2024-08). Available at:听/产补谤迟濒别迟迟/辫耻产濒颈肠-辫耻谤辫辞蝉别/辫耻产濒颈肠补迟颈辞苍蝉/2024/补辫谤/惫补肠肠颈苍别-诲别惫别濒辞辫尘别苍迟-辫耻产濒颈肠-蝉别谤惫颈肠别.听
Abstract:
This paper examines the development of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine during the COVID-19听pandemic as a paradigmatic example of an effective public-private partnership and groundbreaking听innovation in drug development. Central to this successful approach was the Vaccine听Taskforce (VTF), a novel state entity which distinguished itself by taking responsibility for the听outcome of the vaccine development process, necessitating an active role in the process. In听this paper, the development of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is reimagined as a new public听service delivered by the VTF, identifying the important role of public service logic (PSL) in the听design and delivery of the vaccine. Accordingly, the paper employs service design blueprinting,听a common technique used in the design of public services, as an analytical framework.听Blueprinting enables a comprehensive analysis of the resources and expertise mobilised by听both public and private actors, documents the highly innovative process that enabled the听fastest vaccine development in history, and materialises the unique role that the state played听in maintaining an essential connective tissue between all parties to enable the mindset that听underpinned success. The results of the service blueprinting highlight that the state can play a听broader role in drug development, moving beyond facilitating private actors and becoming an听active participant in the innovation process, further suggesting that the engagement of PSL听with existing innovation commons can shape the motivations of private actors in the creation of听public value. Extending the design lens, the paper concludes by examining the question: how听might we see the development of new drugs as a public service?